The Total Solar Eclipse occurs at 28 degrees Leo at 11:30am PST on August 21st, very close to Mars as well as the Royal star, Regulus. Leo itself is the sign associated with royalty and rulership. And Mars relates to our use of force, power, physicality and assertion. This eclipse then clearly relates to uses and abuses of power and authority.

Eclipses on the North Node, like this one, always relate to our personal and collective evolution and destiny. Eclipses act like course correctors, nudging (or shoving) us back on track if we’ve strayed from our heart’s path. Eclipses signal momentous events that occur in the months surrounding the actual eclipse. So consider the broad themes of your life, the major shifts and events that are happening this summer, and into the fall.

There is a very striking political theme to this eclipse: As the eclipse is in Leo the sign of rulers, conjunct the royal star, Regulus, and Mars, the God of War, and the eclipse path cuts right across the United States, and NO other country, entering at Oregon, crossing the centre of the country, and leaving through South Carolina. Not only that, but the eclipse triggers Trump’s ascendant, signifying a significant shift for Trump and for the States. Again, events associated with the eclipse may continue to surface into the fall--especially with Mercury still retrograde, we may not really see the significance until September or even October.

When the light of the Sun is blocked by the moon at the eclipse, the signal is blocked; the ordinary flow of light and vitality is interrupted. This offers a moment to reset, to consciously determine how this energy will be used, to make adjustments to our personal use of Leo energy. When the light of the Sun is blocked, there is darkness, and yet so much more can be seen--the winter constellations--the stars that normally are outshon by the brilliance of the sun momentarily appear. The Sun indeed gives light, but it’s light is so brilliant that it actually hides the more subtle aspects of the cosmos. And so to, our conscious mind often is visible at the expense of the more subtle aspects of the human psyche. There is much information in the darkness that cannot be garnered in the light.

This then is a moment for tapping into the subtle forces within us. For listening to the whispers, glimpsing the shadows, feeling the undercurrents. For witnessing the longings of soul in a world that is often too loud for us to hear. For adjusting our relation to Leo energy so that it’s in closer alignment with the subtler forces at play, and works in harmony with the whole, rather than overpowering it.

When Leo energy is distorted, it becomes egotistical, self-serving, indulgent, oppressive. It becomes the King who cares of no one but himself, who desires only more power, more luxury, more fuel for his ego, more, more, more. And when Mars is involved, it’s the ruler who uses force recklessly, who threatens war on a whim, who has no compassion or subtlety.

Distortions in the collective simply mirror and exaggerate patterns that exist within each of us. It’s easy to point fingers to all the obvious misuses of Leo and Mars energy in this world. More difficult, and many times more effective, is to look within and see the ways in which we each misuse these energies. Here we have a momentous opportunity to adjust our use of Leo energy so that it considers the collective, so that it functions with compassion, and in harmony with the more subtle movements of the cosmos.

The highest expression of Leo--that which we are all called to at this time--is personal sovereignty. To take full responsibility for our own lives, for the decisions we’ve made that have brought us here, for our behaviour, for our role. To take responsibility and then accept the crown: to be rulers of ourselves and our own personal queendom/kingdom which is to say, our lives. Sovereignty means freedom. It means that we see that on a soul level we always have been and always will be free: even in the most dire and oppressive circumstances, we always have the choice of how to respond, we can always choose between love and hate, between revenge or forgiveness.

We all want sovereignty, but we often shy away from the responsibility that it implies. Sovereignty requires full responsibility. No more blaming our problems or even the world’s problems on others, on those we consider evil, even on patriarchy. For patriarchy is within each of us. Full Sovereignty means we need to look within to see the ways patriarchy, white supremacy, colonial power has shaped our own patterns, assumptions, behaviours.

Should we accept this work, we might find a better use of Mars. Instead of acting out, instead of aggression (or passive aggression), we might use the initiative, drive, and warrior spirit of Mars to work together to create a better world, to stand up to hatred and oppression, to find the courage to follow our hearts. Leo, in its glory, is the lion who courageously stands within the heart, who stays vulnerable, who shares its light and warmth with all. It takes great courage and fire, it takes the heart of a warrior to act out of compassion, to walk the way of the heart, to forgive. War and aggression--these are acts of cowardice.

The conjunction to one of the four royal stars, Regulus, speaks again of the theme of sovereignty and use of power. This star signifies success--with a warning: those who seek revenge will fall. This is a clear indication that we must get real clear with our use of this energy. Even holding thoughts of revenge within our hearts is a distortion. We are asked to find the courage and the strength to walk a higher road, to resist sinking to vengeance.

The eclipse is in alignment with the grand fire trine between Uranus, Saturn and Mars that has been at play all summer. The trine to Uranus signals a revolutionary impulse--the desire for change that will empower the collective and offer individual freedom. Saturn speaks to long-term plans, to commitments and responsibilities that serve our collective destiny.

Courage, dear ones. We are in a potent time of transformation and transition. In such moments, there are many more possibilities on offer. The future timelines multiply. Our thoughts and actions now determine the course of our future. Where are you headed? It’s your choice. Will you choose love or fear, forgiveness or vengeance, generosity or greed?